Join me on a stroll through the captivating halls of the "School of Love Vol. 1: The Secrets of the Heart," where best friends Linon and Garance embark on a whimsical investigation into the perplexing world of romance, popularity, and secrets.

BeKa's storytelling prowess, coupled with Maya's enchanting art, crafts a narrative that transcends the ordinary, whisking readers into the tumultuous world of middle school emotions. Linon and Garance, with their distinct perspectives on love, lead us on an exploration that unravels the mysteries of popularity, reputations, and societal obsessions with appearances.

The graphic novel's charm lies in its relatable portrayal of the adolescent experience, with the protagonists navigating the complexities of friendship and love. The art by Maya adds a visual dimension that breathes life into the characters and their vibrant personalities, enhancing the overall immersive experience.

As the duo delves into the lives of older students, unearthing secrets and confronting societal expectations, we witness a genuine portrayal of the challenges faced by young hearts. BeKa delicately addresses themes of friendship, self-discovery, and the vulnerabilities that come with adolescence.

While the narrative tackles weighty subjects, the tone remains light and approachable, making it a delightful read for audiences of all ages. "School of Love" doesn't shy away from the nuances of teenagehood but embraces them with authenticity and humor.

This enchanting graphic novel is just the beginning of the School of Love series, promising more delightful adventures and heartwarming insights into the trials and triumphs of young hearts. If you're seeking a graphic novel that combines heart, humor, and the timeless quest for understanding love, this is a charming addition to your reading list.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was so cute!! Two girls investigate love by talking to their fellow classmates. I can't wait for the next volume to come out!

Thanks to netgalley.com and Europe Comics for the advance ARC copy for my honest review.

Just never got into this one, didn't like any characters, so it made it harder to connect with and was one I kept reading a few pages at a time, then it got buried on my reading TBR list and think be perfect for YA readers, that read the genre more than I do.

This is a great YA book about love, however the main story is about two friends finding out about romance and the meaning of being romantic.
This book would be really useful for middle grade to teach more about the meaning of romance and love and well as building friendships and relationships

This was a cute YA story about love. But don't get fooled by the title, it's mostly about the friendship between the main characters, and them finding out the meaning of romantic. It's mostly plot based so I wish we got to see more about the characters. The artwork and colour pallette is amazing and reminded me a bit of Studio Ghibli movies.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending for an arc

I find this book is good exposure for middle schoolers, although I hope that the author could go in detail to discuss the topic on love.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

It's a nice graphic novel for middle graders with very cute art style, however the story is cliche and it doesn't bring anything new or original to the table. I wished each theme and subject was discussed more into detail, rather than superficially brush over them.

Thank you for this. The artwork for this is beautiful. Visually this is just wonderful to look at. It isn't the easiest to read on the Netgalley app, which is an issue with the app not the book.

This story was so cute and the art is AMAZING!!!. The story of two friends trying to understand what love is and seeing and understanding that it's not as easy as movies and books make it out to be

I love the dynamic between the two friends and it also points to that even if you're best friends, there are still some things you aren't ready to share with them.

My only gripe is that they're eleven-year-olds and they're kissing boys? That's weird to me, but maybe it's normal now...........it's really weird for me.

All in this, this was a really fun story and I can't wait to read Vol.2.

The Secrets of the Heart is the first volume in the School of Love graphic novel written by BeKa and illustrated by Maya. Linon and Garance are best friends with very different ideas about love. To get to the bottom of what all this romance stuff is really about, they decide to conduct an investigation into some of the older students at their middle school. Why are certain kids more popular than others? Why do some already have a “bad reputation” by the 8th grade? Why is everyone so obsessed with appearances? Along the way, the pair discover that, for best friends who are supposed to share everything, they’ve both been keeping some pretty big secrets of their own.

The Secrets of the Heart is a cute graphic novel for the middle grade and older set. Garance and Linon are trying to figure out love, not an easy task for adults never mind kids that are still figuring out who they are. In the process they learn more about themselves and each other, and they figure out that things are rarely as simple as they appear. People act a certain way for a variety f reasons like expectations and self protection, and sometimes because they are just afraid to be made fun of or rejected. I liked the way Linon and Garance figure things out together and grow their friendship as they find out more about others. I will be honest that I thought Linon was going to have another secret or feeling to share, but I think the book played out perfectly well without that additional twist. I loved the artwork, and think it capture the emotional tone of the story and the characters perfectly. I can see this story resonating with a wide audience and gaining a number of fans for the series as it continues.

The Secrets of the Heart is a sweet graphic novel about friends and love.

An okay concept but overly limited in it's scope. We have a pair of girls wanting to understand love and attraction. Solid and real. But what follows is basically a series of brief interviews or simple observations. There's no depth or follow-up to those observations. A lot of text with little action.

3.5 stars
Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read this e-Arc.
This a coming of age story , about two friends who want to know what love is . .
The concept is cute , and Illustration is pretty astonishing , I loved the characters both main and companion ones.
I would love it more if there was representation of Queer couples , cause they are trying to know what LOVE is .
And Love is Love ..
This would be amazing for kids around 10 to 13-4

Overall good experince .

School of Love is a super cute and super short graphic novel. It's about bffs who are trying to figure out what love is. It's like Clueless for middle grade. My biggest complaint is that it's too short to point that it's cramming too much in a too little amount of pages so the 'issues' seem a little glossed over. But I absolutely adore the art.

Thanks to Europe Comics for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars!

Oh, I absolutely loved this—the art, the story, the characters! The art style strongly reminded me of the W.I.T.C.H. comics that I used to read as a teenager and it brought such a nostalgic feeling to my reading experience. There was a good balance between the text on the page and the drawings, so the pages weren't overly cluttered or too full. I loved all the outfits, the colours, and the character expressions.

School of Love is about two friends, Linon and Garance, who decide to conduct an investigation into what love is. Since they're 11yo, I'm assuming that they're in middle school and I remember when my classmates started having boyfriends and started having crushes, so it was really fun following along with these girls as they started interviewing their classmates. Some of their classmates were very comical and I'm sure that the "type" of classmates that we meet, can easily be found in every school no matter where you're from. Linon was an adorably shy sweetheart and Garance was the more outspoken, sassy one in their friendship, and I adored their friendship.

Although the message that "nothing is what it seems on the surface" isn't particularly profound or new, I think it's a message that's easy to forget and it's a good reminder; especially for younger generations as they go through puberty and changes. While things may look one way on the outside, you never really know what the truth behind it is or what lies beneath the surface; such as with Enjoy, Adele and even Garance herself. I would've absolutely DEVOURED this comic had it existed when I was a teenager, and I have no doubt it could've easily been a favourite!

Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet/cute coming-of-age story where two girls just want to know a little bit more about love. This is just the first volume so I can't be too disappointed that we didn't get more scenes between Noa and Linon, but the end of this volume does hold a sweet beginning for them, and I would love to continue reading this comic to find out what happens next! I would recommend this to readers of all ages and definitely for the age group this comic targets!

Super cute art style with beautiful coloring and dynamic expressions that drew me right into the story. The story is a bit shallow, and the relationship between the MC and her romantic interest isn't very well developed. Still enjoyable.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this graphic novel. It was bright and colorful and the characters were super sweet. I also enjoyed the whole exploration of the two friends going on this journey of finding out what love means. I think this is a question we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives.

Well this was such a cute graphic novel!
Would have definitely LOVED this book if I were still in middle school!
I can definitely see myself getting this for my younger cousins!

Such a cute story about two friends discovering what love really is. The characters are sweet and the illustrations are beautiful, very colourful!! it's quick and easy to read. Perfect book for valentines day!!

Overall great and very quick read

*this was given to me on net galley in exchange for an honest review*

A sweet coming-of-age story, with two high school girls deciding to analyse how love functions, basically observing everyone else around them, writing their findings down.

There's the kind of methodical logic that I can see a child following, naively thinking it's just a matter of observation and deduction, until it becomes clear to the main characters that their own experiences are the most pertinent.

The art is sweet too, if maybe a little nondescript.

A lovely middle grade graphic novel about a friendship between two girls exploring the world of love and relationships that isn’t afraid to cover important and difficult topics like slut shaming or bullying even despite the overall lighthearted tone. The artwork is breathtakingly beautiful and full of colour, and I adored the friendship between the two main characters. I just hope future volumes of this series will be a bit less heteronormative and will introduce some queer kids rep too.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.